A Catholic church in Greater Manchester known for its distinctive architecture and rare collection of stained glass has been awarded Grade II* listed status.
St Oswald and St Edmund Arrowsmith Church in Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, has had its designation raised from Grade II following a decision by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), acting on counsel from Historic England.
The new status places the church among a relatively small group of buildings considered particularly important, with less than 6% of listed buildings in England designated Grade II*.
Parish priest at St Oswald and St Edmund Arrowsmith, Canon John Gorman, welcomed the upgrade and said the building reflected the faith of generations of Catholics in the area.
“We are, of course, only custodians of what has been handed down to us, and this church is a testament to the faith of those who have gone before us,” he said.
He pointed both to Catholics who maintained their faith during the penal era, including St Edmund Arrowsmith, and to the generation responsible for constructing “such a magnificent building to the glory of God in the midst of the 1920s depression”.
“Our task now is to care for and enhance what we have been given in order to hand on to future generations,” he added.
Sophie Andreae, vice chair of the Catholic Bishops' Conference's Patrimony Committee, said the new designation recognised the building's religious history as well as its architectural importance.
She described it “as a place of worship venerating the life and ministry of St Edmund Arrowsmith, one of the key Lancaster martyrs, who gave his life for his faith during the Penal Period”.
Completed between 1925 and 1930, the church is regarded as the defining work of architect J Sydney Brocklesby and was designed in a French Romanesque style inspired by churches in southern France.
Its exterior is constructed from pink and buff Darley Dale and Parbold stone and features extensive Norman-style decoration. Carvings of angels, demons and hideous faces appear throughout the building, with each one individually designed.
Among its most recognisable features is the pointed stone roof crowning the church’s circular stair tower.
The building is also home to what is considered the largest and most significant collection in the UK of stained glass by Irish artist Harry Clarke - 19 vividly coloured Expressionist windows were fitted between 1930 and 1937.
Clarke, who was born in Dublin and became known for his rich colours and distinctive elongated figures, completed eight of the windows before his death in 1931. The remaining works were subsequently finished by his studio.
Historic England’s Co-Chief Executives, Emma Squire and Claudia Kenyatta, described the building as “remarkable” and said it “thoroughly deserves” its elevation to Grade II*, adding that the building is widely regarded as “Brocklesby’s masterpiece” and its collection of stained glass was "unrivalled".
The significance of the church extends beyond its architecture.
It was constructed to provide a home for the Holy Hand of St Edmund Arrowsmith, the preserved hand of the English Jesuit priest and martyr after whom the church is partly named.
Arrowsmith was born close to Haydock around 1585 and ministered as a Catholic priest at a time when the faith faced severe legal restrictions in England.
He was put to death in Lancaster in 1628 and was among 40 English and Welsh Catholic martyrs declared saints by Pope Paul VI in 1970.
A shrine for his relic was added to the church in 1934 and designed by FX Velarde, a prominent 20th-century Catholic church architect.
The upgraded status comes at a time of wider concern about the cost of maintaining England's historic churches and other places of worship.
The government recently announced £92 million for a new Places of Worship Renewal Fund over four years to 2030 as part of a wider package of investment in historic buildings.
The fund will replace the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, while places of worship will also be eligible to seek support from a separate £75 million programme for repairs and conservation work on historic buildings considered at risk.
However, church and heritage organisations have raised concerns about the end of the previous grant scheme and the imposition of VAT on repairs.
The National Churches Trust has warned that requiring historic churches to meet the full VAT cost of repair work could place additional financial pressure on congregations already responsible for maintaining significant heritage buildings.
